KRGV.com

AMARILLO, Texas (AP) Officials say they are working to improve worker-management relations at the Panhandle facility that assembles and disassembles nuclear weapons, after reports that workers feared retaliation for reporting safety issues.

The Amarillo Globe-News (http://bit.ly/Zbi0q9 ) reported Friday that the head of a watchdog agency that monitors safety at U.S. nuclear weapons facilities found "troubling" an energy department review that said some Pantex workers believe they will be retaliated against if they report safety concerns.

Peter Winokur, chairman of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, said at a meeting Thursday that nuclear safety must be paramount at Pantex. Board members met with top national Nuclear Security Administration and senior Pantex officials to discuss the results of the energy department's review.

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Information from: Amarillo Globe-News, http://www.amarillo.com